1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to assembly structures of a cabinet, and thin display devices using the cabinet.
2. Description of Related Art
In recent years, thin display devices, typified by liquid crystal display devices, have become commercially practical. In general, such a thin display device includes a cabinet composed of a front cabinet and a rear cabinet, and a display device body for displaying images is placed inside the cabinet. For example, in the liquid crystal display device, the display device body is composed of a liquid crystal display panel, a drive circuit for driving the liquid crystal display panel, a tuner for receiving a broadcast signal, a circuit substrate on which, for example, a control circuit for controlling different parts is mounted, and the like.
Some thin display devices adopt a double-layered structure in which the front face of the front cabinet is covered with a front cover. This double-layered structure allows not only the front face of the thin display device to be protected by the front cover, but also the appearance of the thin display device, and hence the overall design of the device, to be improved by using a front cover having a surface to which gloss-coating or matte finish is applied.
FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view showing a conventional double-layered structure of a front cover 2 and a front cabinet 3. In general, the front cover 2 has, in the center thereof, a display window 2c for displaying images from the display device body, and is almost identical in shape to the front cabinet 3. The front cover 2 has, on the back face thereof, a plurality of hooked lugs 2b for joining the front cover 2 and the front cabinet 3 together, the front cover 2 and the lugs 2b being integrally formed of resin.
On the other hand, the front cabinet 3 has, on the front face thereof, holes 3b for receiving the lugs 2b of the front cover 2, the holes 3b being integrally formed of resin so as to penetrate through the side walls of the front cabinet 3. The front cabinet 3 is put into the front cover 2 with the lugs 2b protruding inward from the side walls of the front cover 2 fit into the corresponding holes 3b formed in the side walls of the front cabinet 3, such that the front cabinet 3 and the front cover 2 are securely fixed together. Then, the rear cabinet is fixed to the back of the front cabinet 3 with screws. In this way, the cabinet body is completed.
However, in the course of assembly of the cabinet, once the front cover 2 and the front cabinet 3 are tightly joined together with the hooked lugs 2b fitting into the holes 3b, the hooked lugs 2b cannot be easily released from the holes 3b due to the tight fit therebetween achieved by the hook portions of the hooked lugs 2b. This makes it difficult to detach the front cover 2 from the front cabinet 3. On the other hand, if, instead of the above-described assembly structure using the lugs 2b and the holes 3b, a structure in which the front cabinet 3 and the front cover 2 are joined together with screws is adopted, it is necessary to increase the number of screws to join them together with sufficient joint strength. This necessitates extra screws, and thus increases costs of parts. In addition, this structure increases time and labor for work with screws, reducing the efficiency of assembly.
Disclosed as a conventional assembly structure of a cabinet are a structure disclosed in JP-A-H11-52883, in which a front cabinet and a rear cabinet are fixed together with a lug fitting into a tongue flap, a structure disclosed in JP-A-H11-126034, in which a front cabinet and a rear cabinet are fixed together with screws, and a structure disclosed in JP-A-2000-324425, in which a front cabinet and a main cabinet are fixed together with an engaging lug engaged in an engaging hole. All of which are directed to a structure proposed for securely fixing the front cabinet and the rear cabinet together. Therefore, no consideration is given to the possibility that the front cabinet and the rear cabinet thus fixed together are disassembled into separate parts.